Bereavement Pay
by Stephen D. Rogers

Vito looked down at the list in his lap. "I guess that leaves bereavement pay."
The Human Resources director beamed as if Vito couldn't help but be impressed. "I think you'll find that our policy in that regard is at least industry standard: three days off for the death of an immediate family member."
Writing "three days" after his note, Vito continued, "Do I have to take the days then, or do they last the calendar year, or what? Say my mother falls down a staircase tonight. Do I have to take the next three days off, or could I tack them onto a long weekend four months down the line?"
"We prefer that you take the time when it is earned rather than stockpiling the days." The director smiled. "I'm sure you understand."
Vito nodded, shifting in his seat. "What if my mother and father died in a car accident. Do I get six days off?"
"Not if your parents died on the same day. You would be receiving the same three days leave."
"That makes sense. But say my mother was killed on a Monday which gave me Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday off, and then my father was killed Wednesday. Would I get the full three days leave from his death, or would I lose the overlapping day?"
"What we have done in the past is given the full three days leave for the second death."
Vito nodded. "Let's see if I get this straight. Your bereavement policy is three days per incident, though you're flexible. In other words, I'm not going to lose out if my entire family is wiped out over the period of a week or so."
"That is correct." The director paused. "I should add, however, that there could be extenuating circumstances which would change how the benefit would be handled."
"Such as--what--I don't like the family member?"
The director cleared his throat. "No, I was thinking more along the lines of you being convicted of killing the family member for personal reasons. In the case of a conviction, you would not be entitled to the bereavement pay and therefore you would have to take vacation time."
"I can understand that. You don't want your employees taking advantage, ripping you off. Hypothetically speaking though, what if it had been my job to ice the family member?"
The director gave a short laugh. "Believe it or not, that would entitle you to the bereavement leave, whether or not you were convicted. We found that people who did not take the bereavement leave were considered suspect, and therefore it was better in the long run to give the employee the time off."
The director spread his hands. "I know that part of the policy sounds like a contradiction, but in fact the circumstances are quite different."
"No, I hear what you're saying."
"Are there any other questions before you decide about taking the position?"
Vito looked at the list again, and suddenly remembered something he had forgotten to write down. "Oh yeah: what's your mileage reimbursement rate?"

Stephen D. Rogers work has been selected to appear in publications including Blue Murder Magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and Murderous Intent. When not setting down words of mystery, Stephen is keeping www.stephendrogers.com nice for visitors.